the latest news on the week's top stories are international journalists including an r.t. news crew come under rubble fire while covering the conflict in syria. well so americans are to foot the bill president obama signs a stop gap look we're told raise the taxes as part of the deal to avoid plunging off the fiscal cliff. also a new documents show the f.b.i. knew about the plot to assassinate leaders of the occupy wall street movement but didn't to warn u.s. citizens of the threat to their lives. and an icon of french cinema. arrives in russia where he's expected to receive a passport after quitting his home country of atomics.

the latest news on the week's top stories this is the weekly on our. thanks for joining us as the syrian conflict so renewed violence in the first week of the new yeah it also led to more casualties among journalists covering the crisis as they were and correspondent for pro-government media was said to have died a wound sustained in a gun at times by rebels as he was returning home from work and i now see arabic news crew and several international reporters have come under rebel sniper fire outside the capital and one of our colleagues come out syco was injured while trying to escape the gunfire and this is his account of what happened. we

arrived at the damascus suburb early in the morning to report on the syrian army operation we were moving from street to street and when we reached the dock my colleagues and i got caught in crossfire we tried to escape running one after another fearing that armed rebels would notice us a syrian army soldier accompanied us the entire time he constantly kept his on the situation and helped us to escape the gunfire the rebels were firing on us my colleagues and i were wearing bulletproof vests with the word press on them the firing was very intense and it was difficult to find shelter i ran and fell down i hurt my arms but the syrian army doctors gave me first aid on the scene so i could continue to do my job there were many other correspondents there with me including iranians and syrians one of the syrian cameraman was also slightly wounded like me . meanwhile dozens of people were killed in a series of attacks on damascus petrol stations dissuade position forces accused the government of

a deadly been the bombing on wednesday while there so it has blamed rebels for a terrorist attack on thursday middle east expert pepe escobar believes a willingness to end the syrian conflict must also come from all sides a country. very sad to say to everybody all over the world that the top geopolitical threat of two thousand and thirteen is going to be the top geopolitical tragedy of two thousand and eleven there are rape of syria the only possibility it would be that the opposition. in a syrian way this sides not so listen to the saudis the turks the americans the brits and the french and they said with the assad government and they work out a transitional government or at least that there is a chanel period leading to free and fair elections is this going to happen not likely. still ahead for you in the program but as well as long time leader hugo chavez may be to

a lap dance surgery to turn his own inauguration but as the opposition demands a year election if he doesn't show up. in dallas he also looks at the legacy of the twenty twelve that could have been things have turned out differently and explore some of the challenges the world my face in the coming months. barack obama has given the green light to increasing taxes on wealthy americans in a move to a voice the so-called fiscal cliff it follows months of political bickering among us lawmakers right up until the january twenty. first deadline and no deal option could have meant billions of dollars of tax hikes and spending cuts which were due to automatically come into effect economics. says that an immediate crisis has been avoided the main underlying problems remain unresolved. through school closures it's just more of theater bankers and politicians trying to distract people from

the underlying root that is a bunch of girls and frankly who are manipulating the system day and day destroying the economy the first go clip is just more bro more theater it doesn't really focus on the true underlying problems and we're going to see more of this going forward in two thousand and thirteen anything about what the tension from the mob what their pitch forks and their torches there are coming out really well they want to just delay that day of reckoning for many months if they can but the day of reckoning. it's comic and for more on the economic outlook for twenty five to kaiser report all programs are available for you. it's been revealed that the f.b.i. knew of a plot to assassinate occupy wall street leaders but didn't alert them to the

potential danger the bureau was and still spying on members of. domestic terrorists more important i has the details. well it's not clear yet why the f.b.i. would neglect to tell activists that there was a potential assassination plot surrounding them what we do know is that new documents obtained by the partnership for the civil justice fund the u.s. human human and civil rights advocacy organization have revealed that the u.s. the f.b.i. the department of homeland security the u.s. military and private corporations all cooperated together to monitor and investigate opic occupy wall street protesters as quote domestic terrorists and quote criminals now the more shocking revelation the headline of this story is that reportedly buried deep within the government. mentions of a plan to use snipers to assassinate occupy protesters and the movement's leaders in various cities throughout the country these alleged plans were supposed to be

taking place in the fall of two thousand and eleven now the names of the groups or individuals involved in the alleged plot are redacted from the f.b.i. documents but what critics say is clear is that the f.b.i. never alerted any one of the potential any of the potential victims that their lives could possibly be in danger or that there's any threat surrounding them the partnership for civil justice fund received the f.b.i. documents on december twenty second so this is fairly new information and this was after they filed a request under the freedom of information after now many civil rights attorneys previously have accused the f.b.i. of functioning as a de facto intelligence arm for u.s. corporations during the occupy wall street movement and especially as it grew bigger however some critics say they never ever suspected that the f.b.i. would neglect to tell occupy protesters u.s. citizens about an assassination plot surrounding them troubles bring once again in

bahrain squat down on a per democracy running tests now nearing get more interesting. french icon. could become could become a russian citizen as early as sunday the film's star has arrived in their russian black sea resort of sochi where his thought to be about to get his new passport from president patient personally and granted citizenship after they actually turned his back on his native france in a row over escalating taxes imagine a caution for his city's hale's print these are hard to produce on a personal interest to so much and there is a possibility of that he might attend an informal meeting with president vladimir putin and there he might be given his brand new russian passport meanwhile gerard depardieu has already been granted russian citizenship and before that he really is french citizenship and move to belgium where reportedly he has some real estate now

this news comes as french president francois juan is trying to push forward a law that will the french citizens who earn more than one million euro piece seventy five percent of their earnings to taxes meanwhile in another french legendary movie i can brigid bordeaux is also think of following the footsteps of your are deployed you however one movie is backed by a completely good reason you know she's also a veteran anymore rights campaigner and she has threatened to apply for russian citizenship if french authorities you for nice peer office take our phones at a zoo in your home and other back with more news for you after this short break.

motion would be soon which will brighten the movie about song from fans to pressure . stunts on t.v. dot com. wealthy british style. but on the rise. market why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines join in to cause a report. here

watching the live from moscow police in bahrain have again violently suppressed announce a government demonstration would then rest in the kingdom approaching the two again mark protests as a calling for a transition to a democratically elected government and better rights for the country's share much orsi asking the dollars from the european bahraini organization for human rights claims that security forces from abroad are stoking the violence by firing tear gas into the homes of unarmed civilians. security forces who are working for the ministry of interior and my pain are practicing and all to by and then i long to violations to human rights when confronting when pro-democracy protests and behave

and a lot of process took place and many different villages and areas around behaving and all of them all of them god. and they were cracked down by that by the security forces and by hating who are most to be and not by me and they are working . and them and so and period and they they were brought from a different country exploring countries like pakistan and jordan and syria and yesterday and the village where i live and stick to it was tear gas to city by security forces and i could assist city by security forces and i could see security and shooting grams in the inside the house that is the movement was compete the peace then but after witnessing the west that was here and position towards that this situation in bahrain or there have been too short and by again it is unlike to what to what they are actually making like they are in car ging human rights in

a different country arab country but when it comes to buying they use double standard so to process their experience by having a look they are those rights because processors they are the minority and not the majority but they are using such methods to prevent of this violent security forces from entering them there is their religion and attacking it on armed civilians and children like we witnessed and the big deal and also of the four year old child being attacked by security forces with tear gas canisters. it has allowed as president chavez has currently battling council maybe on his own swearing in ceremony all says day his political vinyls out demanding and yeah election eve he doesn't show up to beno curated for his fourth time to office japanese culture and history traits of believes the opposition is taking advantage of the situation time to mind the government what is important is the fact that the opposition is using

this as a political mechanism by which they can try to deal a jew demise the government in venezuela remember that in two thousand and two when the united states and spain and other powers around the world collaborated in conspired to oust chavez in an illegal coup and we saw what the significance of chavez was that he had a base of support on the streets in that country that could not be shaken by an international force and so what they're attempting to do is to use his health situation to break apart that base of support and to convince people that chavez is unable to serve the the constitution in venezuela allows for wiggle room here it does not say that just because he can't be at the inauguration at that given moment that there has to be new elections that is what the opposition is trying to create something that is not explicit they're trying to make it explicit the constitution it says that it can be delayed there are alternative arrangements that can be made

the swearing in can take place in a different location and also it says that the new elections can only be called if and only if the elected president is permanently unable to serve there is no indication that chavez won't recover from where he is now so to say that he's permanently incapacitated is not one hundred percent true. and we'll have plenty more for you online at no two larry diplomatic gyptian ambassador to sign gets to the soul slap happy with security at the airport details of the dustup at all to dot com. and prison guards in brazil have busted not it was trying to smuggle in special kids which could have helped inmates engineer a breakout and it came within a whisker of getting away with it find out how the website if it's feline guilty.

it's been a week of new year's celebrations around the globe with fireworks and cheering crowds greasing twenty third scene they were mixed emotions regarding the year that's passed what some son had to see it and many more hopeful of better times. takes a look at the world that could have been. twenty twelve was certainly full of disappointing headlines hope fueled by the arab spring turned into the turmoil of the arab autumn the war in syria claimed countless lives and the fiscal crisis all the european union torn apart at its very seams and the problems facing our world today certainly don't offer themselves up to an easy fix

what if things had turned out differently what if opportunities were actually seized the pawn instead of missed well here's our look at the twenty twelve headlines that could have been. diplomacy succeeds in syria and ending bloody conflict. instead this was the image of syria the world saw increasingly violent clashes between government forces and the opposition had claimed more than forty thousand lives efforts to negotiate a diplomatic solution fall flat because divisions ripped apart both the country and the international community hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring states where many have found conditions to be dismal meanwhile syria's war is threatening to spill over its borders as tensions escalate within and in the region. told me the triumph the sanctions slashed as iran's nuclear to accept. gunning to end gun fire the us rules to restrict fire on. mideast peace with israel

league two state park whose palestine. yet this was their reality israel's assault on palestinian militants in gaza israel's anti-missile shield repelled the most attacks on its territory but a strike claimed the lives of more than one hundred sixty palestinians many of them civilians despite harsh condemnation from many in the international community the war and israel's subsequent decision to construct three thousand new settlements effectively slammed the door shut to any prospect of peace go people power moment you step aside and let democracy in. get lost get most notorious kuantan the most prison permanently shot. euro zone cuts the cuts and lifts austerity. but the news of austerity only tightened as deep public sector cuts brought thousands of angry demonstrators to the streets of greece spain italy and portugal. the worst

economic crisis of a generation has battered the european union's very foundations exacerbating tensions between member states with some regions desperately wanting out i grew up in a europe that was divided from east to west but i'm now living in a europe that is divided from old to self never at any point in the history of this union has there been more discord of rank that we covered. corporate cash banned from the campaign coffers as part of the us political clean. no heel for u.k. british quit european union. we can leaks founder julian the solyndra point to un free speech and. instead a song remains a political refugee at ecuador's london embassy where he's been granted asylum he continues to fight extradition to sweden over alleged sex crimes charges that he says are politically motivated and tied to his work in leaking international government secrets. the power of people speaking up and resisting together

terrifies corrupt democratic power so much so that onery people here in the west and the enemy of governments an enemy to be watched and enemy to be controlled and to be impoverished true democracy is not the white house true democracy is not. true democracy is the resistance of people with the truth against lies from the right here in london every day ordinary people teach us that democracy is free speech and dissent. from heretic to hero american whistleblower bradley manning finally free. droning on no more nations agree to end iraq of remote controlled war. egypt's arab spring sees democracy defeat hardline islamist. the reality on the ground was anything but

egyptian president mohamed morsi is fouled like power grab unleashed fury and frenzied street battles and a fast track to constitutional overhaul referendum left a bitter opposition eager for change but then two thousand and twelve saw the arab spring transform into an egyptian nightmare had the revolution to get rid of a tyrant dictator. in the order to that we made elections a revolution and elections to choose someone to the present us it turned out that this guy is also tired of themselves but he has had lines may have been the stuff of imagination but that's the of twenty thirteen can bring any of them to life we think our fellow r.t. moscow this week along was rubber stamped allowing the u.s. military to detain thomas suspects indefinitely including americans without charge or trial the national defense authorization act also extends the restrictions on transferring detainees out of gun time over nothing here but trying congressman

dennis kucinich things the move is part of a pattern that undermines democracy. right now we're much more of a garrison and a garrison plus a powerful military which keeps asserting itself globally and it doesn't make america safer and frankly doesn't make the world safer we're spending upwards of six hundred billion dollars for an expanded pentagon presence for more war in afghanistan and for proliferation of war in in yemen and somalia and other places we have a lot of problems here at home that we're not taking care of we have massive unemployment people are losing our homes people are losing their retirement security and i continue to say that we have to start emphasizing taking care of things here at home instead of developing a bigger footprint around the world as far as our military presence and another recent move viewed by critics on to democrats take the mic stand as an ox that

allows for the want to coughing of americans without a warrant a u.s. national security agency whistleblower says nobody is safe from things spied on the phone interview with william binney later today but here's a quick preview. f.b.i. has access to the data collected which is basically the e-mails of virtually everybody in the country. and they have the f.b.i. has access to it all the congressional members are on on the surveillance to it's not no one's excluded they're all included so yes this can happen to to anyone if they become a target for whatever reason. if they were targeted by the government the government can go in with the f.b.i. or other agencies of the government can go into that database pull all that they've collected over them on them over the years and reanalyze it also retroactively analyze everything they've done over the last ten years at least where if you

wanted cards and i'm sure i i i believe i've been on it for quite a few years yeah so i keep telling them everything i think of them in my e-mail. so there when they read it they'll understand what i think of them. it enjoys a cozy relationship with this state but now the church of england is finding its special status in the u.k. is coming under scrutiny it's alarming drop in popularity among the public means many are questioning whether its funding and political privileges can be justified as a point to boycott explained. one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world with one official state religion to some it's a paradox i think any institute any faith institution like the church of england is going to have some potential threats on the horizon and those threats on the horizon are basically around its relevance to communities in general other faiths

are significantly growing in not only population but the voice in a social and political level so it's really important to have a plurality of opinion rather than just focus on one institution as being reflective of the nation yet the national church has twenty six years on the elected members in the house of lords the upper house of britain's parliament and it enjoys financial privileges courtesy of the u.k. taxpayer by the church's own admission the number of people coming through the doors of this and every other church in england has hogged over the past forty years the very same report even warns that in the longer term the established religion faces fading away to virtual envelopment twenty anglican churches just like this one being closed down for worship each year entrepreneurial property developers a snapping them up and converting them to luxury housing or even light clubs while

the number of church goers in the u.k. continues to fall some one hundred thousand britons have converted to islam over the past decade three quarters of those white women as you know broaden my knowledge about islam and compared with christianity i must tell you i found it more logical you know it just resonates with me i like what the prince of wales but he wants to be if ever he becomes king he wants to be the leader of faith you know of all faiths that i think is a wonderful statement because certainly our society here in britain is very multi-core. very multi-faith so everybody should be included while other faiths enjoy popularity the church of england's recent rejection of women bishops and disapproval of gay marriage has reignited the age old debate on the separation of church and state people feel alienated if they're not part of that church and so

few people are because only two percent go to church on a normal sunday so that's why we must i think make sure that the church is disestablished in the twenty six bishops that votes in the house of lords the only country in the world to have a parliament where they have the right to do that should be extinguished britain now has one of the lowest rates of church attendance in europe there is a rule. in terms of religious opinions there is and that will grow and that future may actually become wider as time goes on and so i guess what we have today is is the church effectively being relevant to certain parts of this country despite centuries of tradition some question what will be left of the church of england in fifty years time though the statistics are very clear very clear almost disappeared with something i think the twenty fifty

figures are one hundred thousand people in the pews on an average sunday out of a population of sixty million that's miniscule but the privileges and political influence afforded to it are far from trivial and that's what's fuelling the cause of those who say that it's fairer to separate the church from the state party boyko r t london. and so on the way he one else he would take it to a russian orthodox village built by a priest for his adopted children or seven tell them. the world or the. science technology innovation all the lives developments from

around russia we've got the future covered. you know how sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realize.